Light Pollution

By Dr. Rhodri Evans, University of Chicago Yerkes Observatory | May 20, 1999

I would like to thank you for featuring the article on light pollution ("Glaring mistakes," Tempo, May 13) so prominently. The large picture accompanying the article clearly shows what everyone would agree is very bad lighting--it produces glare and actually hinders safety. Yet this kind of lighting is essentially the norm in most cities. I work at Yerkes Observatory in Wisconsin, which was built by the University of Chicago in the 1890s to be far enough away from the city so as not to be affected by the city's...

Mayor Rahm Emanuel's latest idea to boost Chicago's tourism numbers involves finding a company to light up city bridges, buildings, CTA platforms and other locations to hopefully “transform the world's opinion of Chicago” and convince people to visit and stay here longer. The city has put out a request for proposals for a “city-wide lighting framework plan” to highlight Chicago as “an iconic metropolis.” Bidders should particularly consider ways to light...

Dear Home&Garden: Your piece on home lighting, which appeared Feb. 4 ["Night Lights"], was very disappointing in that you should have emphasized "downlighting" at every opportunity. Many people have concerns about light pollution nowadays as the skies become increasingly brightened at night through misdirected light thrown into the sky. There is an organization, the International Dark Sky Association, composed of members from all states and over 60 countries, that...

In Homer Glen, there are two kinds of darkness. There's darkness by design, making Homer Glen a respite in the suburbs from light pollution. But there's also darkness that can put drivers and pedestrians at risk, especially on the West Side of town, officials said. "As a person of my age, I think I prefer more lighting," Trustee Marcia De Vivo said this week. "I think we have much too dark of a community. " Her husband, Mike, who is Homer Township's highway commissioner, put it...

The perfect stargazing night is when the clouds step offstage and all that remains is the moon and a freckled canvas of stars. But more and more often, even on the best nights, suburban stargazers are denied a peak at the heavens. Even the most sophisticated celestial fan armed with detailed star maps, guides and high-powered telescopes would be blinded thanks to what is known as light pollution. "It's a real problem," said Tim Wrzesinski, of the Naperville Astronomical Association.

Arlington Heights' work over the last four years seeking a so-called "Dark Sky" light pollution ordinance has ended. At an April meeting, board trustees rejected the measure, intended to limit lights in the village, as unnecessary and restrictive despite the village's Environmental Commission presenting the ordinance proposal as an energy-conservation effort. The ordinance would have limited all outdoor lights - including porch lights, driveway lights and...

The Naperville Astronomical Association has an enviable amateur stargazing center with a video telescope that can reel in views of the Eskimo Nebula or the spirals of the Whirlpool Galaxy, 23 million light-years away. But when members want an unobstructed view of the night sky, they pack their telescopes into their cars and drive more than an hour south to a farm in Grundy County, beyond the glow in the western suburbs that blots out most of the stars. For decades, Chicago-area...

Arlington Heights may have been inspired by another community's controversial "dark sky" effort years ago, but village officials said it sidestepped one restriction in its light pollution proposal to skip out on the drama. "People do not like - and rightfully so - restrictions on what they can do on their property," said Michael Wilder, chairman of the Arlington Heights Environmental Commission. "It's hard as a municipality to make a stand on a pretty far-reaching...

The best thing about living in a city? Everything. The worst? Not having any stars. They're there, of course. They've been there for billions of years. But when you live in Chicago or any other big city (and even some smaller ones), the stars' brightness is overpowered and diminished by aptly named light pollution: the leftover glow leaked from densely populated cities' artificial light. Several communities are trying to reduce their light pollution, but city stargazing remains...

BLACHFORD LAKE, Northwest Territories - At first it just looked like the lights of a distant town - a white, amorphous blob showing through the trees northwest of the lodge. But there was nothing in that direction except wilderness. I looked up and saw the white extending over my head. I pivoted and saw it reach to the horizon, forming a 180-degree arc. Then the blob started to take shape, forming swirls, and its color shifted from white to gray, then green. This was it. This was what I'd come for. ...

Night comes to Times Square, but not darkness. In the space of a few blocks, end-to-end billboards glow with bright lights. Marquees beam the titles of the latest shows. Images dance on jumbo television screens in a kinetic display of kilowatt consumption. This is a place to gaze at stars of the human variety. Anything celestial is lost in the milky haze that bathes the sky. Times Square may be a dazzling extreme, but America likes lights. The country is so well...

Chicago is known for many things. But being the perfect place for stargazing isn't one of the Windy City's traits. If Audrey Fischer has her way, though, it will be. She wants to be able to look up into the sky — even in the Loop — and see the stars. It's a daunting task, so Fischer is taking it one star at a time through her organization, One Star at a Time, which aims to unite people from across the planet via the starry sky. This is only possible if everyone in every city can see...

Dear Home&Garden: I find the article on "Night Lights" in the Feb. 4 issue of the Home&Garden section deeply objectionable. The idea of encouraging people to contribute to light pollution in this manner is appalling. I find it irresponsible of you to have published such an article on an area of "decorating" that so intrudes on the character of a neighborhood. This is not a private issue for individual homeowners. Light pollution in the suburbs is becoming a serious issue....

Dear Tom, Is it possible to see the northern lights in the Chicago area? —Joel Porterfield, Park Ridge Dear Joel, The aurora borealis or northern lights are visible from the Chicago area, but only infrequently. The phenomena usually is visible about three or four times a year in rural areas, but light pollution in the heart of the city limits viewing to only the most vivid displays, which occur about once every two...

Light pollution: The obtrusive illumination or brightening of the night sky by artificial light sources such as street lights; also the direct intrusion of artificial light (such as a street light outside a bedroom window) when and where the light is not wanted. ---------- Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m. WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Paul Dailey plus weather producer Bill Snyder...

The glow of a porch light does more than light up the night, providing safety and security. It's a decorative element that adds to your home's total look, and porch lights are evolving to reflect energy efficiency and light pollution concerns. Here's what industry insiders have to say about the latest in porch lights. Ditch the clear glass. ..

The stars at night may not be incredibly big and bright around Chicago, but folks can still enjoy the nighttime sky at local observatories and forest preserves. Light pollution--reflection and glare caused by the inevitable signs of city and suburban life such as street lights and tall office buildings--has dimmed some of the view of the stars. "It is hard to see the stars around here because of the light pollution," said Paul Sipiera, professor of geology and astronomy at Harper College.

The best thing about living in a city? Everything. The worst? Not having any stars. They're there, of course. They've been there for billions of years. But when you live in Chicago or any other big city (and even some smaller ones), the stars' brightness is overpowered and diminished by aptly named light pollution: the leftover glow leaked from densely populated cities' artificial light. Several communities are trying to reduce their light pollution, but city stargazing remains...

BOLINGBROOK Incentives resurrect senior housing Plans for a senior housing project off Briarcliff Road in Bolingbrook are gaining momentum after recent approval of an incentive agreement with a developer. Bolingbrook trustees agreed to extend an incentive agreement with the developer, who is expected to complete 7-year-old plans for a senior housing complex. The incentive includes decreased water and sewer connection charges for the housing complex. Bolingbrook Mayor Roger Claar...